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Friday, February 7, 2014

What's next for LGBT families?

Marriage Equality is a big deal, but a lot of people feel that it is a snowball rolling downhill picking up more and more states as it goes.

While there is still work to be done, several national LGBT activist groups are already turning to what they see as the next battlefield: LGBT Family Rights.

I wrote a 2013 recap / what to look for in 2014 for the Pride PAC blog. Here is the teaser....

2013 ended with 18 states and the District of Columbia recognizing same-sex marriage in some form, and while 18 is a far cry from 50, let’s not forget that those 18 states account for 228 electoral votes and 123 million people which is almost 40% of our population. (Oregon, Nevada, Wisconsin and Colorado, which account for another 32 electoral votes and 17.5 million residents, recognize civil unions, domestic partnerships or other legal status for same-sex couples.)

Also this year, President Obama included LGBT families (specifically same-sex parents) in his National Family Week proclamation: “Whether united by blood or bonds of kinship — whether led by a mother and father, same-sex couples, single parent, or guardian — families are the building blocks of American society,” This might not seem like a big deal, but it paves the way for full equality for non traditional families. With marriage equality quickly becoming a foregone conclusion, the LGBT family unit is the next, connected, battlefield.